Clarinet



March 19, 1929. H. BETTONEY CLARINET File'd Jan. 311 1927 lnvenfor. Harry Befloney ww. Wi TM ATTys.

Patented Mar. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES HARRY IBETTONEY, or noscron, massacnusn'rrs CLARINET.

Application filed-Tannery 31; 1927. SeriaI No. 164,728.

This invention relates to musical instruments of the clarinet type. 7

One object of the invention is to provide a clarinet having a body made of a metal tube and having the special constructional features which will be more fullyhereinatter set forth and claimed.

In order to give an understanding of the through the end of the clarinet bodyon the line 3 3, Fig. 1; t

Fig. 4 is an'enlarged section on the line 44, Fig. 2;

. Fig. 5 is a section on the line5-5, Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the clarinet;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 7 7 Fig. 1 showing the manner in which the bell is fastened to the body; I

Fig, 8 is a section on the line 88, Fig. 2; Figs. 9 and 10 are fragmentary sectional views showing a type of spring which may be used for yieldingly holding a cap over a tone hole. I I

The clarinet herein shown is provided with a metal body 1 which is made from a single metal tube, said body having the usual number of tone holes and being provided with suitable key arrangement'by which the in strument is played. The lower end of the" body terminates in the bell 2. The construc-, tion of the body and bell will be more fully" described hereafter. V 7 i 3 indicates the mouthpiece which is detach ablyflsecured to the body as usual, the end of the body 1 being vprovided with a socket 4-into which the mouthpiece is 'removably in- I i sorted.

The socket 4 into which the mouthpiece is inserted is formed. in a socket. member 21 which is adjustably mounted in the body of the clarinet. This socket member isprovided with the neck 22 which telescopes into the interior of the-body 1 and it is e'nlarged at the socket end'as shownat 23, the

enlargedportion having exterior screw threads 24. The socket member is provided with four pins 25 which telescope into recesses 26 formed in the body 1, said pins serving to prevent the socket member from turn 'ing while permitting it to move axially. Swivelled on the end of the body 1 is an ad justing nut member 27 which has screwthreaded engagement with the exterior screw threads 24' on the socket. This member 27 is provided with an interior groove 28 in which isreceived a lip 29 formed on the end of the body member, the lip and groove providing the swivel connection which permits the nut 27 toturn. By turning the nut 27 one way or the other the socket member 4 may be moved axially of the body 1 thereby adjustin the tuning of the clarinet. 30 indicates a loo nut member has been screwed out of the nut. The

pins 25 may be freely withdrawn from the recesses 26. The socket member 4 is preferably made of metal.

The body of the clarinet is made of a single 1 metal tube which has the correct interior bore and in order to provide for proper fingering each tone hole is formed by a metal sleeve 31 which is secured to the body 1 and extends at right angles thereto,'said -sleeves 31 being of the proper length to bring the ends thereof at a radial distance from the center of the tube corresponding to the diameter of an ordinary wooden clarinet. Wooden clarinet are much thicker than the walls of the metaltube and the sleeves 31 are of the right length to bring the outer ends thereof-at substantially the same radial dis-' tance from the center of the tube as the exteriordiameter of'a wooden clarinet.

Some of the tone holes have rings associateel there-with as usual in clarinetsj In The walls of the the construction herein-shown, these rings encircle the' raised tone holes and when de pressed the ends of the raised tone holes project up through the ring. When any ring is depressed the surface of thering forms with the raised tone holes anen'larged surface to receive the finger of the player.

While in many respects the fingering of the clarinet is the same as that usually employed yet in some respects it is slightly'different and improved. For instance, the tone hole 81 (the F#' vent hole) underneath the body of the instrument and which is usually covered by the thumb of the left hand and which when covered alone produces the F natural tone has associated therewith a ring 32 which is carried by an arm fast on a rock shaft 34, said rock shaft having. an arm 35 engaging an arm 36 rigid with the rock shaft 37. The rock shaft 37 carries a cap 38 adapted to close'the tone hole 39 and which is the G vent hole. The F vent hole 40, which .is closed by the first linger of the left hand also has a ring 41 associated therewith which is fast on the rock shaft 37 so that the G vent hole may be closed by either the thumb of the left hand or the first finger of the left hand. I v

The clarinet is provided with a tone hole 42 which when closed produces a tone of B flat above the staff and this is adapted to be closed by a cap 43 which is rigidly carried by the rock shaft 44 extending longitudinally of the tube 1. Means are provided whereby the tone hole 42 may be closed by its cap 43 either by the second finger of the left hand or the first, second and third fingers of the right hand.

The rock shaft 44 has a ring 45-fast thereon associated with the tone hole 46 which is closed by the second finger of the left hand so that by depressing the second finger the cap 43 is closed. This rock shaft has inter locking connection with another rock shaft 47 journalled in suitable bearings and'having arms extending therefrom which carry rings 48, 49 and 50 associated with the tone holes 51, 52 and '53 which are covered by the first, second and thirdfingers of the right hand. The rock shaft 47 has the offset arm 54 which overlaps another offset arm 55 carried by the rock shaft 44 so that when the rock shaft 47 is turned by depression of either of the rings 51, 52 or 53 the cap 43 will be depressed to close the'tone hole 42.

The bell 2 is rigidly and non-removably secured to the body 1. The small end of the bell abuts against the end of the body 1 as shown in Fig. 7 and the two parts are permanently connected together by a ring 56 which is soldered or brazed to the body and the bell respectively.

The tone hole 57 which is normally closed by the third finger of the left hand is provided with a flange 58 for the purpose of affording a broad surface to receive the finger. This flange in some respects takes the place of the ring so far as its making a rest for the finger is concerned. This eliminates any discomfort which might be caused by closing the finger directly against the raised end of a tone hole which of itself affords a relatively narrow or small surface to receive the finger.

I may, if desired, form the tubes which provide the tone holes that are to be covered by the caps such for instance as the tone .hole 61 which 'is the A vent hole, with an en- In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown an im-- proved arrangement of spring for normally closing the caps winch is adapted for use in a musical instrument of this type having .raised tone holes. In an instrument having the raised tone holes such as is provided by the tubes 31 the caps are situated a distance from the bodyof the instrument by the length of the raised tone hole. Owing to this fact it is possible to use a coil spring for yieldingly closing the cap onto the tone hole instead of the leaf spring or flat spring which is commonly used in clarinets that are made of wood. v

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a cap for closing a tone hole 61, said capbeing carried by a lever pivoted at 62 and provided with a finger piece 63. 64 represents a stop to limit the opening movement of the cap. In this embodiment the spring 65 for closing the cap encircles the spring post 64 and bears against the end of the finger piece, this spring being a push spring. In Fig. 10 an embodiment of the invention is shown where in the spring for closing the cap is in the nature of a pull spring. In this figure the spring is indicated at 66, it being connected at one end to the lever 67 carrying the cap and at the other end to the body 1 of the spring is shown, said spring in said figure being indicated at 68 and it being wound about the rock shaft 44. One end of the spring may be fastened to the rock shaft or to an arm rigid therewith which carries one of the rings or cap and the-other end of the spring may be anchored to the bearing post 70. This spring 68 is a coil spring, as are the springs 65, 66,- but is also a tortional spring.

I claim: v 1. In a clarinet, the combination with a body in the form of a single metal tube having an F :/:t venthole with a raised seat to be closed by the thumb of the left hand, and also having an F vent hole to be closed by the first finger of the left hand and further having a G vent hole, of a cap for closing the said latter vent hole, rings associated with the said tone holes, and connections by which the cap .may be closed by the depression of either rin 2? A clarinet having a body formed of a single metal tube provided with tone holes having raised seats, one.of the raised seats having a bore of uniform diameter throughthe tone holes, a lever carrying said cap and out its length and provided at its end'with an pivoted in bearings which are separated from outwardly-extending flange which provides the exterior surface of the metal tube, and a an enlarged surface to receive the finger when coiled metal spring engaging both the lever 5 the instrument is played. and tube for yieldingly holding the cap in 15 3. In a reed Wind instrument, the combinaplace. v 7

tion with a single metal tubular body, said In testimony whereof, I have signed my body having raised tone holes, the outer name to this specification.

ends of which are Well spaced from the outer 10 surface of the body, of a cap for closing one of HARRY BETTONEY. 

